Core-barrel



e. A. HUMASON AND w. L. CHILDS. CORE BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-171 1918.

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%1 TH EXR 61110114111, W

UNITED srn'rns PATENT OFFICE.

' GRANVILLE A. I-IUM ASQN AND WILLIAM I1. CI- IILDS, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

GORE-BARREL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Application filed September 17-, 1918. Serial No. 254,424.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, GRANVILLE A. HUMA- son and WILLIAM L. GHILDS, both citizens of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris county, Texas, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Core- Barrels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

ur invention relates to core barrels for use in connection with coredrilling apparatus. It has reference particularly to core barrels used inrotary drills in drilling oil or water wells, or in prospecting where a continuous log of the well is required. It is contemplated in our invention to receive the upwardly extending column of material, constituting the core left by the drill, in a specially constructed tube or barrel wherefrom it may be easily extracted. A common trouble experienced in drilling with a core drill is that the core of material will sometime become wedged in the core barrel and become diflicult, or sible, to extract therefrom without the use of specially constructed means and the loss of a good deal of valuable time.

An object of our invention is to provide a corebarrel which may be divided longitudinally in such manner a to release the core therein without difliculty, by means of taking the barrel apart.

Another object is to construct a core barrel of the character described which may be firmly joined together to maintain the partsin close and rigid contact.

Other objects and advantages of our improvement will become apparent from a reading of the specification, which follows and will be pointed out with more particularity in the claims. p

Referring to the drawings forming a part of thisspecification and wherein like numerals are applied to like parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, ofa drill to which our invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the-line 2-2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a broken detail, partly infsection, showing a means of coupling different sections of our core barrel together. Fig. 4 is a cross section of our invention illustrating one means of joining the longitudinal parts together. Fig. 5 is a similar View illustrating anothermodification of our invention.

practically impos- In Fig. 1, we have shown our invention in position within the drill stem and attached to a drill. The drill used may be any ordinary type of core drill and the one We have shown isan improved core drill, which is covered in a co-pending application No. 254,397 filed Sept. 17, 1918 for patent. It consists of a head 1, having a re duced upper shank 2 for connection with a drill stem 4, said connection being made in this modification by an ordinary coupling or drill collar 3. At the lower end of the bit are two outer cutters 5, inclined outwardly for the purpose of cutting a clearance for the drill; and two inwardly inclined cutters 6, cutting a clearance about the core formed in the drilling operation.

The core extends upwardly as the drill progresses downwardly and is received in our improved co-re barrel 7 This core barrel is divided longitudinally into two parts held together at the lower end by being threaded interiorly into the drill head and at the upper end by a cap 8 threaded on to the core barrel. This cap has a valve 9 ar ranged to open upwardly against the ac tion of aspring l3 thereon. This spring is an ordinary spiral spring arranged around a downwardly extending stem 11, and bearing at its upper end against the lower face of the cap 8, and, at its lower end, against the enlarged head 12 of said stem. By means of said spring, and also through the weight of the valve itself, the

valve is held within a semi-spherical seat 10. The up er surface of the valve is conical in shape for the purpose of better diverting any sediment or accumulation of material which might form above the valve. Upwardly extending passages 23 through the cap 8 provide a vent for? water or air accumulating in the upper end of the barrel. These. passages are ordinarily closed by the valve, but it is apparent that an excess of pressurebelow the valve through the passages 23 will unseat the valve sufiiciently to allow the outward passage of the fluid in the barrel.

As a further means of securing the two longitudinal parts of the core barrel together, we may provide outstanding flanges '15, at occasional intervals along the sides by means of which the two parts may be:

drawn together in rigid contact. Instead of occasional flanges 15 we may provide a continuous outstanding flange along the margin 14 of the two parts of the core barrel as is shown at 15' in Fig. 3. As a further means of securing a firm contact between the two divided parts of the core barrel, we have contemplated forming the marginal line of contact by an ofi'set or zig-zag line shown at 19, in Figs. 2 and 3 or of a sort of dove-tailed connection as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In the modification shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 1 it will be obvious that any lateral movement of the parts will be entirely prevented by the contact of the shoulders 24 thereon with each other. It will also be obvious that the two parts constituting the core barrel in these modifications may be assembled by simply placing the parts together and by passing the bolts 16 therethrough and tightening same in place. In Fig. 5, however, where we have shown an ordinary dove-tailed connection between the parts, it will be necessary, in assembling the core barrel, to slide one part longitudinally of the other in such manner that the projection in one half of the barrel will fit within the groove in the other part. WVhen the two parts have been thus secured any lateral movement in either direction will be prevented but in order to provide aginst a longitudinal movement of the two parts, securing bolts 16 are used as in the other modificatlon.

It is contemplated that ordinarily the lengths of core barrel will be the usual length of pipe used in drilling but, if a longer piece of core is desired than can be received within the usual length of barrel, a coupling 17, such as indicated in Fig. 3, may be used for securing together one length of core barrel with another similar length. This coupling is threaded interiorly at each end, as clearly shown in the drawing, for attachment to the two lengths of core barrel. The outer periphery ofthe core barrel is provided with a plurality of outstanding lugs or guides 18 to prevent any decided lateral movementat this point, which would otherwise tend to weaken the core barrel structure at the joints.

In the operation of our invention the core barrel is shown as attached to a roller bit, but it is obvious that the same could be used on any type of drill either roller or reciprocating and we do not wish to be considered as confining ourselves to any particular type of drill. The operation of the drill will leave in the bottom of the hole an upstanding core of material which will be received within our improved core barre-l. As the bit progresses downwardly the core will extend upwardly in the barrel and any air or liquid in the upper part thereof will be forced upwardly as by a piston and will find a vent through the valve by means of passages 23. The valve will prevent any inlet of sand or foreign material into the core barrel and thus insure a sample of the material being drilled which will be an accurate log of the well. When a proper length of core has been drilled, the drill stem and attached drill and core barrel will be withdrawn from the well. In order that the core may be properly secured within the core barrel and thus withdrawn from the well, a plurality of gripping devices or pawls 20 are provided. Said awls are pivoted on pins, 22, in recesses 21 in the lower end of the core barrel. The pivot 22 is arranged below the center of the pawl which will thus allow the upward passage of the core. The said core operates while the drill is working, to press the pawl backwardly within the recess, but when the drill is raised carrying with it the core barrel the pawls 20 will contact with the core and the upper roughened surface of said pawls will grip the core securely, and further upward movement of the core barrel will serve to break the core from the bottom of the well and carry the same upwardly with the drill.

When the drill and the core barrel have been withdrawn from the well, the bit may be detached from the drill stem and the core barrel withdrawn therewith from the drill stem, after which the core barrel may be released from the bit. The cap 8 is then detached from. the upper end of the stem and the bolts 16 or 16 are withdrawn and the core barrel will thereby be divided into two parts which will open up and allow the release of the core in its unbroken form as drilled.

This form of core barrel is of great advantage from the fact that little difliculty is experienced in releasing the core from the barrel and also because the core is not broken or mutilated in withdrawing the same from the barrel.

Having thus described our inventlon, the advantage of which will be apparent without further description, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a core drilling apparatus, a core bit, a core barrel attached thereto, said core barrel being divided longitudinally into two parts.

2. In a core drilling apparatus, a core b1t, a longitudinally divided core barrel attached thereto, a cap on said barrel, and an .upwardly opening valve in said cap said cap assisting to hold the parts of said barrel together. a i

3. In a core drilling apparatus, a core bit, a longitudinally divided core barrel attached thereto, and means to secure the parts thereof together, comprising an upper valve-controlled cap and marginal clamping flanges on said barrel.

4. In a core drilling apparatus, a core bit,

a longitudinally divided core barrel attached thereto and means of securing the parts thereof together, comprising said bit at the lower end, a cap at the upper end, and intermediate clamping bolts as described.

5. In a longitudinally divided core barrel a connecting coupling comprising a collar threaded at both ends and guides comprising a plurality of spaced lugs projecting radially from the outer surface thereof, said lugs extending to points closely adjacent the outer drill pipe, thus serving to prevent lateral movement at the coupling.

6. In a longitudinally divided core barrel, means to clamp the parts together including an upper cap therefor and marginal clampng means, a. valve on saidcap, said valve comprising a valve stem and a head thereon held resiliently in a seat in said cap the upper end of said valve head being conical for the purpose described.

- In testimony whereof, 'We hereunto affix our signatures this the 7th day of September, 1918.

GRANVILLE" A. HUMASON. WILLIAM L. CHILDS. 

